ECSTASY DEATH PROMPTS RCMP WARNING

One Dies, Another Hospitalized After Ingesting MDMA

Last week's tragic death of a young Whistler man who perished after
ingesting a quantity of the drug known as Ecstasy this week prompted a
local RCMP official to issue a stern warning to those who may be
thinking of taking illicit drugs.

"These drugs are made by criminals using methamphetimine and toxic
chemicals. Anytime you're taking these drugs, you're taking your life
in your hands," Whistler RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair said on Tuesday
(Nov. 17). "People ask me, 'Are there bad drugs out there?' The answer
is that they're all bad."

The apparent drug overdose occurred last Thursday (Nov. 12). Police
responded to a call at a Whistler home at approximately 11 a.m., RCMP
Sgt. Steve Wright said in a statement.

A 20-year-old male had been found unconscious by friends. When police
arrived, Whistler Fire Rescue Service and Emergency Health Services
personnel were performing CPR, but failed to revive the victim, who
was pronounced dead a short time later at the Whistler Health Care
Centre, Wright said.

A second male who was at the same home was hospitalized after he, too,
suffered an apparent overdose of MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
He is expected to make a full recovery, Wright said.

Both men had ingested the drug in powdered form. While police are
describing the death as an apparent overdose, RCMP and the B.C.
Coroner's Service are investigating. LeClair said the toxicology
report should help determine whether the man died from taking too much
of the drug or whether the drug may have contained other toxic
substance or substances that resulted in the man's death.

"There's no quality control with these drugs. All the person who's
making them cares about is about getting their money," LeClair said.

Earlier last week, a 17-year-old Fernie male who had also ingested
MDMA in powered form almost died, Wright said, emphasizing that there
was no connection between the two incidents.

In addition to the two cases last Thursday, Whistler Health Care
Centre officials reported having treated a third person for an
apparent overdose of MDMA in the past few days, LeClair said.

"MDMA is part stimulant and part hallucinogen drug, which can cause
extreme health effects on the body such as high blood pressure, high
body temperature and dangerously high heart rates, to potential lethal
levels," the statement said.

"These chemical drugs are very affordable and easily obtained in our
communities. The chemical drugs are made in clandestine labs which
produce large volumes of caustic and dangerous byproducts which are
often dumped into the local environment with potentially devastating
consequences."